The State of Texas requires the completion of all six semester hours of government for graduation from a public college, but does not provide detailed guidelines regarding content, and related objectives, for these courses. Thus instructors have considerable discretion in the setting of course objectives. The problem of this dissertation, therefore, is the determination of course objectives actually set and the general orientation within political education that the objectives may reflect.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed.

M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Ed. / On 27 April 1994 every person in South Africa exercised his/her basic rights as a citizen. By making a cross, citizens acknowledged the authority of the Constitution, and accepted the responsibility this places on their shoulders. The success or failure of the new South Africa is not dependent on the wording or impact of the Constitution, but relies on the willingness of all South Africans to honour the content of the Constitution. Fundamental rights which apply to each person in the country, can only be demanded on the condition that people want these rights for others too. Every right that is demanded, implies the responsibility to honour that right. South Africa needs humanity, goodwill, benevolence, acceptance and forgiveness. Provided that a culture of human rights can be established in the country, these ideals can become reality. Human rights can and should be made part of the South African reality; the Constitution describes it, the RDP calls for it and society demands it. In the course of this dissertation, school is focused on as the one institution in society that is eligible for the establishment of a culture of human rights. A survey done among practising teachers, underlines this thought. The necessity of, and the need for human rights education is founded in official documentation such as international bills of human rights and conventions, policies of Unesco and the Council of Europe, as well as the educational policies of different countries. World leaders and international academicians plead for the inclusion of human rights teaching programmes in the school curricula and the establishment of a human rights culture as part of the ethos of every school. Available material on the subject, that is implemented in schools all over the world, are introduced and evaluated in the light of South African circumstances and needs. Contents that could possibly be included in a curriculum in South African schools, are represented in terms of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. Problems facing human rights education in the South African society, as well as worldwide criticism against human rights education are dealt with. The inclusion of a human rights period and the incorporation of human rights contents in the total school curriculum, are suggested in order to establish a human rights ethos in schools. Some examples are given to indicate how contents can be concretised within the class situation. The establishment of an education and a teaching strategy that puts human rights first, and that has the support of all role players, is recommended. The success of the new South Africa will not be determined by the stock exchange, sport achievements, technological breakthroughs or political opinions, but through the attitude and will of each man and each woman to live and let live, and to strive towards a future together. Education and teaching can make each child and each home aware, and sensitise them to acknowledge, respect and accept every other human being. The Bill of Human Rights should not only remain part of the Constitution, but should indeed become part of every person's philosophy of life and attitude towards life.

Over the last three decades the UK higher education system has operated under an ideological approach sometimes referred to as New Managerialism (Deem, 2004). The psychological contract of the individual actor within this altered environment was the subject of the research in this study. The psychological contract has been defined as an individual’s beliefs regarding the terms and conditions of a reciprocal informal exchange agreement between themselves and their organisations (Rousseau, 1989). The thesis focused on the psychological contracts of higher education lecturers in a post-92 University Business School in the United Kingdom. The study considered the construction of the psychological contract, the appropriateness of the initial contract, perceived influences on the contract, and behavioural consequences of contract breach and/or violation. The research was focussed on the role of the lecturer in interpreting and unpacking his/her perceptions and understandings. The research questions required data that was personal and experiential. Interviews were undertaken which allowed participants to provide life history accounts that described and theorised about their actions in the social world over time. The approach used had a number of limitations which were identified and considered within the thesis. Notwithstanding the limitations of the research approach, the data suggested that each individual had analysed the extent to which a new employment context would deliver transactional, relational, and ideological reward. However, ideology was less relevant in making the decision to accept higher education employment than either transactional or relational elements. Post-entry, sensemaking acted as a confirmation mechanism in respect of the expectations of what the job would entail and the pecuniary and non-pecuniary benefits that would be received. Initial contracts were relatively accurate in their conceptualisation of the work involved in being a higher education academic. Within the Business School examined in this study, management decisions impacted on participants from both an economic and socio-economic perspective. Employees described how individual work contexts were altered by management decisions. Reaction to decisions depended on individual circumstances at any given juncture based on the influences from multiple contexts both internal and external to the workplace. Context was not homogenous and wide-ranging individual differences were apparent. These contexts played a part in defining to what extent changed work environments would be accepted or not. Participants were continuously active and involved in the evaluation of the multiple contexts that were relevant to them. The capacity to manipulate managers and influence decisions to counteract context change was also evident. The ability to thwart changes to work context varied between individuals and over time. This study identified how participants were able to create and shape their own work environment to satisfy their needs and wants during their careers within a structure that remained predominantly organic in nature despite a changing higher education environment. The goal of the employee was to create the idiosyncratic deal, the specific individually tailored work environment that would deliver the satisfaction required from higher education employment. The psychological contracts were self-focussed and self-oriented but this did not necessarily mean that employees were not also actively involved in assisting the organisation to achieve its ambitions. The notion that a managerial agenda had resulted in the erosion of individualism in higher education was not supported. There was evidence that the psychological contract was unilaterally changed and altered by the employee whenever he or she chose, rather than a negotiated change to a binding agreement. Alteration was intrinsically a private determination and often not communicated.

M.Ed. (Education Philosophy) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / A democratic and prosperous society necessitates responsible behaviour from its members. The observation is often made that responsible behaviour is often absent or underdeveloped in society, especially amongst the schoolleaving youth. The development of responsible, well-trained schoolleavers is universally seen as the task of the school. This is because the development of responsibility is usually associated with the aims of the education process and the attainment of adulthood. It is at school that the opportunities may arise to teach, take and experience responsibility. Any of the activities at school may present opportunities which either contribute to the development of responsibility or inhibit it. Great emphasis is placed on the rights of children, yet too little is made of the opportunities which may assist in creating the perception amongst children that they are able to accept and act responsibly. The aspect of creating positive perception about a pupil's own ability is a very important aspect of education as a whole and should be developed to the fullest extent, in order teach and develop responsibility. Schools should take cognizance of this and endeavour to create a climate for pupils in which to accept responsibility. The invitational approach in education is based on the assumption of the perceptual tradition that all people have unrealized potential that may be developed within a climate of trust, intentionality, respect and optimism. In this approach all the participants in the educational process are regarded as responsible, capable and valuable. What teachers believe the pupils to be, they convey to them through their actions, words and the opportunities they present to them. These perceptions influence behaviour. It is therefore imperative that positive perceptions about pupils' ability to accept responsibility and to act independently are created and enhanced. The role of the school in the development of responsibility, the opportunities present for the development of pupils' acceptance of responsibility and the lack of responsible behaviour amongst school leavers, as indicated by employers, prompted the following questions: • does the school present pupils with opportunities to accept responsibility? • to what extent do pupils experience the opportunities to accept responsibility as such?

D.Ed. / It is an accepted fact that one of the school's duties is to prepare a pupil vocationally as well as to be economically literate. One of the reasons why this study is deemed to be of current interest is that pupils are being educated to be job seekers instead of -providers. The shortage of entrepreneurs is therefore reaching national proportions. At this moment in time education in South Africa does not aim to establish a culture of entrepreneurship and the pupils believe the only requirement is to complete their school careers successfully. After completion of his/her school career a pupil is geared to enter the labour market as an employee. Only in the minority of cases parents and schools educate their children to form any alternative ideas about themselves and life in general. This study looks at the responsibility of the school with regard to teaching entrepreneurship as it exists in the South African society at present. The aim of this study was to establish the following: what entrepreneurship is and which factors outside the school context play an influencing role, the ways in which the school plays a role in the forming of entrepreneurial skills and what the school's responsibility is with regard to educating entrepreneurship. The method of research which was followed was of a twofold nature and consisted of an in depth study of the literature and an empirical investigation. In the study of the literature the profile of an entrepreneur and the characteristics which play a role in the development of entrepreneurs in the family context as well as the environment and culture were investigated. Personal characteristics were also taken into account. The factors which may play a role in advancing and/or restraining entrepreneurial training in the school context were also investigated. The findings and conclusions with regard to these investigations were stipulated and recommendations were made. A questionnaire intended for businessmen/women and teachers was handed out to the relevant people in the Magisterial District of Springs. The validity and reliability of the said instrument were verified beforehand. The results were processed and interpreted by means of a computer. When two or more frequencies were compared the Two-Way Chi-Square was utilised. For the purposes of this study, contextualities and differences between the respondents were accepted as statistically significant on the 5% significance level as well as the 1cY0 significance level. Findings forthcoming from this study were that the school has an enormous educational task with regard to entrepreneurship and the creation of an entrepreneurial culture in South Africa. The curriculum at school should be directed to the development of young entrepreneurs and should also be practice based. Entrepreneurship and the value thereof should already be emphasized at primary school level. Certain recommendations are made which could be of directive assistance with regard to the establishment of a culture of entrepreneurship and aspects regarding the education of entrepreneurship at school. It is estimated that between 350 000 and 400 000 employees in South Africa are introduced to the labour market annually. Only 50 000 will be employed in the formal sector. It is further estimated that between 33% and 45% of the economically active population (approximately 11 million inhabitants at present) are unemployed. Something could be done about this gloomy picture by starting to look at the schools' involvement and/or task with regard to the education of entrepreneurship. The teaching of entrepreneurship with a view to the future of South Africa specifically and a change in the economic school of thought is primarily regarded to be an educational issue. It should be seen•as an investment in the people of South Africa. The above mentioned reasons underline the importance of an investigation of this nature into the schools' involvement and/or task with regard to the education of entrepreneurship.

M.Ed. / The objective of this study was to investigate the proportion of teachers' input with regard to career and future orientation. A literature study was undertaken and it is evident that against a background of change in society and the economy, there is a definite need for more specific and up to date career and future orientation in the schools. Furthermore, the importance of career and future orientation as a process is emphasised. In chapter two, all the essential components of career and future orientation are identified, and a model illustrating the integration of these two aspects as a cyclical process is posited. An empirical study was undertaken and these components were used to develop the research instrument. The research design is discussed in chapter three. In chapter four the hypotheses for each item are tested, and the findings are discussed. A summary of these findings, together with the conclusions, recommendations and suggestions for further research are made in this chapter. Within the context of the paradigm shift which has taken place within the new dispensation for education, from in-put curriculum model to process out-put approach (COTEP, 1996: preface), as well as considering the altruistic nature of teaching, it becomes evident that responsibilities of the teacher rise above and beyond the call of duty which existed in the past. Education should equip its learners with skills that go beyond the basics (Calitz, 1991:10). In terms of the responsibilities of teachers as set out in the Provincial Gazette Extraordinary (1995:50) teachers clearly have a responsibility which goes beyond merely teaching subject content. Prof. Bengu makes the following statement: °Our message is that education and training must change. It cannot be business as usual in our schools, colleges, technikons and universities. the national project of reconstruction and development compels everyone in education and training to accept the challenge of creating a system which cultivates and liberates the talents of all our people without exception"(Govemment Gazette, 1995:5). The teacher must endeavour to educate pupils towards self-actualisation in order to improve the quality of life for both the individual and the country (Government Gazette, 1995:21). According to Van der Merwe and Berkhout, (1991:96) the effects of unemployment on our education system are especially noticeable in terms of the objectives of education, learners and learning content. New parameters are being set for the competence of the people who must help others to achieve competence. It should not be a case of °do as I read in a book, or do as I did 20 years ago° (Gamble & Tyers, 1994:11). It appears that in the context of social change and the subsequent need for guidance, the advent of a global economy, and different manpower requirements, as well as in light of growing unemployment amongst manpower wrongly trained, career and future orientation should become a continuous process throughout the everyday learning experience of the pupil, so that the human resources of South Africa can be developed to the optimum. The findings of this research indicate that teachers by and large believe their input with regard to career and future orientation to be adequate. However, from data collected in the empirical investigation, it is evident that teachers do not perceive themselves as actively participating in the orientation of pupils towards a career and their future. With regard to the items pertaining to this study, it appears that teachers tend to be more active in future orientation activities than career orientation. Taking into consideration the distinction made between career orientation and future orientation, the following findings are illustrated by the analysis of the data. With regard to future orientation, concerning helping pupils to prioritise life-values, teaching decision making skills and helping pupils to set realistic goals for their future, teachers perceive these as being activities in which they deliver a higher input than the career orientation activities. These future orientation activities feature first, second and third in rank order in terms of the perception of teachers with regard to the proportion of their input (see table 4.1). Furthermore, according to the results of the research, it seems that the senior primary teachers and those who are in managerial positions are more concerned with future orientation (refer 4.8 and 4.10).